AU Evening Wrap | ASX 200 rises, PEXA Group up to 8.2%

Top gainers: $PEXA Group Ltd (PXA.AU)$, $Cettire Ltd (CTT.AU)$ and $Mercury NZ Ltd (MCY.AU)$
Top losers: $Whitehaven Coal Ltd (WHC.AU)$, $Genesis Energy Ltd (GNE.AU)$ and $Nickel Industries Ltd (NIC.AU)$

$S&P/ASX 200 (.XJO.AU)$ increased by 0.8% to 8,314, ending a five-day losing streak with most sectors in positive territory. The All Ordinaries Index mirrored this growth. Major banks, including , $Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AU)$ and $ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ANZ.AU)$ were key drivers of the market's upturn.

8 out of 11 sectors closed higher. The industrial sector had the strongest performance with a 1.34% rise, but it still experienced a 0.78% decline over five days. The healthcare sector, with $CSL Ltd (CSL.AU)$ leading, and real estate stocks like $Goodman Group (GMG.AU)$ and $PEXA Group Ltd (PXA.AU)$ also contributed to the market's positive performance.

Despite a drop in oil prices due to concerns over Chinese consumer demand, the overall market rally overshadowed the energy sector's decline. $Woodside Energy Group Ltd (WDS.AU)$ and $Santos Ltd (STO.AU)$ experienced slight decreases in their share prices.

$Novonix (NVX.AU)$ surged by 16% following a $755 million loan from the US Department of Energy, ending the day up by 3.4%.

$Karoon Energy Ltd (KAR.AU)$ fell by 9.7% after downgrading its production guidance.

$Data3 Ltd (DTL.AU)$ declined by 9.84% due to partnership changes with Microsoft in Australia.

$APA Group (APA.AU)$ dropped by 1.5% as the Australian Energy Regulator is likely to reject the company's bid to regulate the Basslink electricity cable.